2023-09-09 03:17:45
Beaten from the outset in the World Cup for the first time in their history, the men in black want to retain the positive to move forward.
The bad records are linked for the All Blacks. After conceding the heaviest defeat in their history two weeks ago (35-7 against South Africa), the men in black lost a World Cup group match for the first time in their history. End of a series of 31 consecutive successes. The Blues won 27-13 in an effervescent Stade de France.
The All Blacks start the match foot to the floor. Mark Telea crashes after 92 seconds, the fastest try in history in a World Cup opener. The two teams will then gauge each other and go kick for kick. The Blues return to the locker room with a slight advantage.
«The first half was really positive, promises Aaron Smith after the meeting. We entered the field with the right intentions, we moved the ball and we scored quickly. We entered their 22 a few times, and if we had managed these situations a little better, we would have swung into the lead at half-time.»
We have to pull ourselves together and keep moving forward. We lost the battle tonight, but we still have the rage to win
Ardie Savea
After the break, Mark Telea offers himself a double (43rd) and allows his team to come back in front of the score. But the New Zealanders will make too many mistakes: penalized twelve times. “Will [Jordan] was a bit clumsy on two aerial actions and the second one didn’t help us, breathes the coach Ian Foster. The yellow card (57th) came at a bad time against a team that likes to exploit the back of the field. France knew how to take advantage of it, but we were quite disciplined in the first half.»
After the hour mark, the All Blacks gradually collapsed. Melvyn Jaminet, who entered a few seconds before, even scored the winning try (78th) for the XV of France. “A disappointing evening, that’s for sure. The most important thing is our discipline, we conceded a few too many penalties“, says second row Sam Whitelock.
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The All Blacks still aim for the title
New Zealanders touched but not sunk, who want to focus on the positive. «We never managed to put pressure on them as the match progressed, regrets one-night captain Ardie Savea. It just didn’t mean to smile tonight, that’s all. We were dangerous when we got the ball, but we fought ourselves, we didn’t show enough patience and precision on a technical level. We have to pull ourselves together and continue to move forward. We lost this evening’s battle, but we still have the rage to win.»
Very classy and fair play to the extent, the All Blacks also wanted to salute the superiority of France, carried by an overexcited public. “It was an up and down match, but we have to take our hats off to them, insists Ian Foster. It was a hell of a World Cup opening match and I congratulate France. I think they were the best team of the night. Now we have to find another way out.» An atmosphere praised by a double best player in the world. “The French were able to take advantage of the wave of support at home, smiles Beauden Barrett. The atmosphere was fantastic and it’s a great way to start the tournament at a home World Cup.»
In an unusual position after this inaugural defeat, the men of the Pacific stayed the course. No question of changing goals. “Our goal is to win the tournament» repeats Ian Foster after the match. Next meeting Friday against Namibia.
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